ABSTRACT
German unification was the result of crisis management prompted by mass migration followed by the implosion of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The result of the first free elections was a clear mandate for fast-track unification as advocated by the 'Alliance for Germany'. The Round Table had published a new draft constitution that incorporated all the demands of the human rights movement for a democratic renewal of the GDR or for a new all German constitution. Its civil rights went far beyond those laid down in the West German Basic Law, guaranteeing, inter alia, work, accommodation and education. Apart from the general unease about employment prospects under capitalist conditions, no issue caused more anxiety among East Germans than the uncertainty of property rights, which concerned almost half of all commercial businesses and an equal percentage of agricultural lands. Nazis and Communists had confiscated the property of millions of Germans who were driven into exile and death.
